by Mark Blacklock

AN OIL refinery notorious for sacking 700 strikers has been fined a £1.4 million for safety breaches which killed worker Robert Greenacre.

The 24-year-old fitter died in a horrific explosion at Lindsey oil refinery, North Lincolnshire, that triggered a huge fire.

He had been working beneath a distillation column containing hot crude oil at the North Killingholme site when the disaster occurred in June 2010.

Thousands of gallons of crude oil came gushing out of the stack when Mr Greenacre and his colleague Richard Quickfall misidentified a piece of equipment and opened the wrong flange.

Mr Quickfall managed to escape to raise the alarm, only suffering minor burns.

Operator Total was blasted for failing to have proper safety procedures in place and admitted to judge Ms Justice McGowan at Hull Crown Court on Wednesday that it had failed to comply with regulations.

Total was fined £1.4m and ordered to pay more than £34,000 in costs.

A family statement said: “Despite the outcome of this case, it doesn’t change how we have been affected. Rob was our world. We have been left with a shattered and empty future, we are heartbroken and changed forever.”

The tragedy happened a year after an agreement between Unite and management ended a 10-day dispute at the refinery.

In 2009, about 800 workers went on strike to protect pay and conditions which they said were being undermined by contractors bringing in cheap labour. Later, 700 were sacked.